A Missed Opportunity
by sfscarlet
Summary: Gus and Brian have a talk.


Gus knocked on the door of Brian's office. Brian looked up, nodding for him to enter.

"Hey Sonny Boy, what can I do for you?" Brian asked, seeing the serious expression on Gus' face.

"Dad… You busy for lunch?"

"Let me check," he smiled as he looked at his calendar. "I'm free. You buying?" Brian teased with the familiar joke between them.

"My boss just gave me a bonus for an account I landed. So yeah, I think I can afford to take you to lunch," Gus teased, realizing Brian knew about the bonus since he signed all the checks at Kinnetik.

"Say one o'clock. Should I call Justin to join us?"

Gus laughed. "No. This one is just you and me. Later, Dad." Gus walked out of Brian's office and down the hall where he proceeded to work on the latest Liberty Air campaign.

One o'clock arrived and Gus returned to Brian's office, where he found the door open and his father studying a report.

"Ready?" he said as he knocked on the door with a slight tap.

Brian looked up from the report, placed it on his desk and closed out the program on his computer. "Yep. So where are you taking me?"

"I was thinking Carraba's. I know you don't eat carbs after seven, but…"

"Sounds good."

They walked to the restaurant as it was only a few blocks from Kinnetik, and the weather was perfect for an early spring day.

They were seated in a far corner where they had a view through the large picture window behind them. Gus looked at the patches of green grass pushing up through the brown dirt. The street was bustling with people hurrying, completing their noon time errands. After ordering their food, Gus took a sip of water and played with his water glass.

Brian watched his son fidget, wondering what could be so disconcerting. "Gus, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, Dad. Nothing's wrong, everything's right. I'm just nervous because I'm not sure what you're going to say," Gus sheepishly admitted.

"You're my son. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together," Brian attempted to reassure him.

Gus laughed at Brian's words, realizing he had nothing to fear. "I'm getting married," he blurted out.

Brian opened his mouth and then closed it, leaned back in his chair and shook his head slightly. "Married." Brian repeated, without emotion.

"Garrett and I… I love him. He's the best thing in my life, the other half of my soul. He completes me. We're like you and Justin-just younger," Gus gushed as his smile almost rivaled one of Justin's 'Sunshine smiles'. "I want to be with him forever." Gus watched his father as he broke a small smile at Gus' words. "I want to wake up with him by my side and go to sleep with him. He's my life."

"And Garrett feels the same?" Brian asked.

"Of course. I've wanted this for a long time and after being with you and Justin over the weekend, I knew this was what I wanted. A committed relationship with the man I love."

The salad arrived and Brian moved the fork around the lettuce leaves, popping an occasional one in his mouth and chewing slowly. Gus watched his Dad, concern growing with every moment. " Are you mad, Dad? You're not saying much?"

Brian put down his fork and took a drink of water, signaling to the waiter to come to their table. "Two shots of Beam please," he ordered. "Want anything, Gus?" Brian asked as he looked at his son.

Gus shook his head no.

"I'm not mad, Gus. Just-you took me by surprise. I know it's been legal to get married for the last ten years and you were really active in that campaign. I remember your moms, Justin, Michael and Ben practically living at the campaign headquarters for months trying to convince John Q. Public that allowing Gays and Lesbians to marry wouldn't destroy society." Brian picked up his fork and took several bites of his salad and took a drink from the whiskey the waiter brought.

Gus tore a piece of roll and placed it in his mouth. He finished his salad and watched his Dad eat his before he continued the conversation.

"Dad, why didn't you ever ask Justin to marry you? Uncle Ben and Uncle Michael got married in Canada and then they had a ceremony here when the law allowed it. Drew and Emmett are married, and so are Blake and Uncle Ted."

Brian smiled before answering. "I did ask Justin to marry me, and we almost got married, but changed our minds at the last minute. Don't you remember, you were going to be the ring bearer?"

Gus frowned as he tried to find the memory. "You and I practiced at my house here in the Pitts. Right before we left for Canada."

"That's right. It would have been before you moved," Brian agreed.

'You never told me that story. Will you tell me now?"

Brian glanced at his watch and took out his phone, hitting the speed dial for Cynthia's desk. "Gus and I will be taking the afternoon off. See you tomorrow." Brian signaled to the waiter again. "Can you make our orders to go?"

"Are you okay, Dad? It's not like you to take the afternoon off?"

"I'm fine, Sonny boy. I just think that this discussion is not one to have in public. I thought we'd take our food to the loft and eat there."

"Okay. But I don't want to keep you from work," Gus stressed.

"I'm owner and CEO of the top boutique ad agency in Pittsburgh; I'm allowed to take the afternoon off. Besides, it's been awhile since you and I spent some time together. Your moms, Justin or Garrett are usually around." Brian justified his afternoon absence.

"You want to get your car?"

"No. I think I could use the walk. Besides, you're making me eat high fat-laden carbohydrates and I need to walk at least a little of those calories off. Justin can't be expected to burn all of them," Brian said tongue-in-cheek.

"Dad," Gus admonished. "TMI."

Brian laughed at his son. He carried their food and they quickly walked to the Loft. Brian unlocked the door and disabled the alarm, and then brought the food to the kitchen. Taking out two plates and silverware, he dished out the food and brought the plates to the table, where he motioned Gus to join him.

"You spend much time here, Dad? I thought you stayed at Britin most of the time, but this place looks like it was cleaned yesterday," Gus commented.

"I occasionally will stay here if I have a late meeting in town or if Justin has an event in the city; we stay here rather than going back to Britin, but Briton is our home. In fact, that is where Justin agreed to marry me." Brian smiled at the memory and placed his napkin in his lap.

Gus took a few bites of his lasagna. "Grandma Debbie's isn't quite this good, but it's close. I wonder if she ever thought of opening a restaurant."

Brian laughed. "Deb running a restaurant… She'd scare away the customers with her T-shirts and buttons. I love Deb, but I think she belongs at the diner, and leaving her cooking to the 'family dinners'." Brian ate a few bites of Penne Pasta, washing it down with a drink of beer.

"Dad, so… you proposed to Justin. Dish!"

Brian drained half his drink, steeling himself to tell Gus the entire story. "I'll start at the beginning."

"I know Justin was there the night I was born, so you don't have to go back that far," Gus commented.

"I wasn't planning on keeping you here though the weekend, Gus. Besides, you may be my son, but I'm sure there are still some areas of your old man's life that should remain a mystery," Brian reminded him.

"You know about Prop. 14 and the bomb that destroyed Babylon, right?" Brian inwardly winced, even 22 years later it was a sore spot for him.

"Sure, that's what caused the moms to take me and JR to Canada," Gus answered. He finished his beer and got up to get a second one.

"I was on my way to the airport to take a flight to Sydney, Australia. I'd gotten a clean bill of health-the cancer was gone and I was going to celebrate. The driver had on the radio and I heard about the bomb and I told him to turn around. I tried calling Justin's cell the entire way there, but he didn't answer. I was terrified. We were talking back then, but he wasn't living with me. We were having one of our 'arguments'."

"What were you arguing about, Dad?"

Brian shook his head at the stupidity of the past. "Let's just say that your Dad could be one stubborn Son of a Bitch back then and didn't exactly tell Justin that he wanted him around."

"Okay. So… then what happened? I know Uncle Michael was hurt and a few people died, but what has that got to do with you and Justin?" Gus cleared the food plates and motioned for Brian to move the conversation to the den area. Brian stretched and walked to the bedroom of the loft where he changed into jeans and a short-sleeve black T.

"Want some different clothes? You are just a miniature version of me. I'm sure I have something here you could wear." Brian offered as Gus followed him into the bedroom.

"Sure. This monkey suit gets wrinkled easily," Gus teased. He put on a pair of Brian's jeans and light sweater, and then they returned to the living area.

"Continue," Gus demanded.

"Definitely a Kinney," Brian remarked before continuing the story. "I was frantic when I got to the club. I ran in looking for Justin, yelling his name until I spotted him. I pulled him out of the club and held him in my arms, and that was the first time I told him I loved him." Brian stopped as he remembered that terrible day, reliving the soot-covered Justin and watching as the ambulance driver took Mikey away in a stretcher.

Gus leaned over, lightly placing his hand over his dad's, bringing Brian back to the present. "Wow. You mean you never told Justin you loved him until the bombing?" He stopped and calculated. "You'd known him five years before you told him you loved him. Dad, you're a shit." He joked but frowned at his statement.

"Yeah, I was. A few days later I asked him to marry me, but he turned me down. He said I was just reacting to the bombing and Brian Kinney would never marry."

"Wow, Justin was harsh. But wait… you said he agreed at Britin. What happened?"

Brian smiled at that memory. "I decided that I really wanted Justin to be my husband so I bought him this dream house, drove him there, and asked him to marry me again."

"What made him change his mind? I mean Justin's usually pretty stubborn once his mind is made up," Gus questioned his Dad.

"I told him he was my prince and that I would do anything to make my prince happy."

Gus laughed at his father's words. "That is so corny. I can't believe you said that. You're pulling my leg, right? You really didn't say that?" Gus challenged.

"I did and I was. I think that he believed me because he knows that I never say or do anything I don't want to do. He agreed to marry me, right there in the living room." Brian smiled at the memory of making love in front of the fireplace.

Gus played with the paperweight on the table, a triangle marble thing that Justin had picked up in some museum. He always seemed to pick it up when he was sitting on the couch. "So if Justin said yes, why aren't you two married?"

"A few weeks later, the Art Forum column came out and I couldn't marry him, couldn't keep him from going to New York and meeting his destiny." Brian explained. He got up from the couch, walking to the window. Traffic was picking up, but he wouldn't leave until he'd finished his conversation.

Gus recognized Brian's escape. His father often looked out windows, staring at nothing when he was deep in thought. After five minutes, Brian turned around, looking at his son.

"So there's your answer. I did ask Justin to marry me, but it didn't work out."

Gus walked over to his father, giving him a hug and Brian hugged him back. Releasing Gus, they looked at each other, neither wanting to break the spell.

"Dad… Justin only stayed in the city for six months. Why didn't you get married when he came back?"

"The time had passed, Gus. We didn't need rings to show our love and we didn't need a marriage ceremony either. When he came back, I was busy with Kinnetik and he was busy with his painting. Then we were busy with our lives, and there never seemed to be a good time."

"I see. So you're not upset that I'm marrying Garrett?"

"No, Sonny Boy. I'm not. If that's what you want, then I'm happy for you."

Gus looked down at his watch. "Sorry, Dad, but I've got to go. I'm meeting Garrett at Jennifer's agency. She's promised to start looking for a place for us."

Brian nodded. "Well, you better leave. You don't want Mother Taylor to get mad at you. She might find you a place in the slums," he said, tongue-in-cheek.

Gus leaned over and gave Brian a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. Brian returned the hug and kissed his forehead. "See you, Sonny Boy." He watched Gus leave and then he went into the bedroom, opening his sock drawer.

Digging to the bottom of the pile, he located the black box that held the two rings. Opening the box, he took the smaller one out and read the engraving. _"To my Prince"_ He smiled and put the ring back in the box and the box in his pocket. He left his suit hanging in the closet, making a mental reminder to send the messenger over next week to take it to the dry cleaners. He rinsed the dishes, placing them in the dishwasher and threw away the remainder of their lunch. He locked the door and armed the alarm, and then walked to his car at the Kinnetik lot.

It was Friday afternoon, and the traffic was heavy leaving the city. Oftentimes on Fridays, Justin would meet Brian in the city and they would go to dinner and sometimes meet up with the 'boyz.' This weekend, however, the professor had a seminar in Miami and Michael had gone with him for the weekend. Drew and Emmett were away on a cruise, and Ted and Blake were at the Opera. He'd promised Justin he would take him to the King Tut exhibit in Philly, but that wasn't until tomorrow. He was looking forward to having an evening alone with his blond.

Brian arrived at 7:30 and was greeted by the aroma of Jambalaya. Justin had always loved cooking and he indulged when he had the chance. He went to the kitchen, hoping to find Justin, and was rewarded by an armful of artist.

Justin kissed him, opening his mouth to savor Brian's taste and essence. "You taste like Beam. Stop off at Woody's?" Justin asked when he released Brian.

"No. Gus and I had a few drinks. We went to lunch and ended up at the loft." Brian explained.

Justin frowned. "That's why you're dressed in jeans. I wondered about that. Anything wrong?"

"He took me to lunch, Carraba's," Brian announced proudly.

"So how long did this lunch last?" Justin asked as he went to the refrigerator to find the fixings for the salad.

"We didn't go back to work." Brian answered as he took down the plates to set the table.

Justin laid the food on the counter and turned toward Brian. "Stop. You took the afternoon off to talk to your son and you say there's nothing wrong." Justin accused.

"How long till dinner is ready?"

"About an hour. You're early. I didn't expect you until after 8:00 on a Friday."

"Turn down the food, my Prince, and come into our parlor," Brian suggested.

Justin's heart dropped at the seldom-used word. He turned down the rice mixture, put the salad fixings back in the refrigerator, and then joined Brian in the living room.

Brian had thrown the large pillows on the floor and turned the gas fireplace on, giving the room a soft yellow glow. Brian was reclining on several pillows and motioned Justin to join him.

Justin lay down next to Brian and they kissed for a few minutes, soft gentle touches that turned into deep open-mouthed kisses, sharing their love and saying the words that each felt about the other. Justin climbed on top of Brian, and Brian opened his legs, making a place for him. Justin ran his hands in Brian's hair while Brian's hands caressed Justin's back. Brian reached under Justin's shirt, running his hands over Justin's flesh, dipping down into his waistband and squeezing the firm ass. Brian flipped Justin over, their roles and actions reversed. Justin arched into Brian's body, his hard cock making his jeans uncomfortable. Motioning for Brian to get up, he pulled away and quickly rid himself of his clothing while Brian did the same. Brian moved to Justin's cock, engulfing it in his hot mouth.

"Mmmm," Justin groaned in pleasure. He had nothing to clutch his hands on and continued to play with Brian's slightly graying hair.

Brian hummed, adding to the pleasure. He popped a finger in Justin's mouth while he continued to suck Justin's cock, allowing Justin to moisten it. Removing the finger, he played with Justin's hole, then pushed the first knuckle into the tight pucker. After all these years, Justin still managed to have the tightest ass. Justin bucked into Brian's mouth at the added stimulation.

"No race, Justin. Lay back and enjoy, my Prince," Brian directed softly as he let go of Justin's cock and started kissing his balls and perineum.

Justin opened his legs further, allowing Brian access to his body. Brian pushed his finger in further, stretching it slowly.

"More," Justin begged as he gently pushed on Brian's head.

Brian placed two fingers into the hole as he returned to suck and lick Justin's cock. Justin bucked gently against the welcome intrusion, and Brian recognized that Justin was close. Brian removed his fingers from Justin's ass, kissing his way up his chest until he reached his mouth. Justin eagerly opened his mouth to kiss Brian, the smell of him on Brian's mouth a turn on for him as well.

"Now. I need you inside me. Please Brian," Justin pleaded.

Brian lifted Justin's legs on his shoulders, swiftly plunging into Justin. Brian let out a sigh in contentment. Impatiently he waited for Justin to move, signaling his adjustment to his large cock. Brian leaned down to kiss Justin. He felt Justin's tightening on his cock and started pumping into the tight channel.

"So tight. Never gets old. Justinnnn…" Brian said as he thrust into his lover.

Justin continued to use his ass muscles to add to Brian's and his pleasure. Through the years, sex had gotten even better, and both men were just as excited by each other as they were that first night, twenty seven years ago. They had not used condoms for many years, and both men enjoyed the added closeness.

"Close, Brian," Justin called out as sweat beaded on his brow.

Brian increased the speed of his thrusts and urged, "Come for me. Love you so much."

Justin grabbed his cock, giving it some added stimulation as he felt his balls tighten and the familiar tingling in his body. Ropes of cum shot between their bodies as he felt Brian shoot into his ass.

Leaning down, Brian lowered Justin's legs to the floor and lay on top of him, kissing him slowly. Justin returned the kiss, enjoying the post-orgasmic high he always had when he was with Brian. Brian turned them over again, allowing Justin's smaller frame to lie on him rather than vice versa. Brian caressed Justin's back with both hands, and soon felt the familiar goose bumps appear, despite the heat from the nearby fireplace.

"Love you," Justin said as he placed a kiss on Brian's throat.

"You too," Brian agreed.

Brian pushed himself up. "I'll be right back with a wash cloth. Wouldn't want us to stick together," he teased. Brian quickly returned with the wash cloth and a light blanket. He cleaned them up and lay down, covering them with the blanket where they dozed for a half hour. They typically slept spooned together, each enjoying the closeness of the other man, and while they didn't usually sleep in the living room, they assumed the familiar position as they rested. Brian had been holding Justin and he felt him stir, signaling the end to his nap. Brian gave him a hug and Justin turned toward him, kissing him in return.

"That was wonderful as always, but are you going to tell me what Gus and you talked about? I really don't want to see you brooding all weekend," Justin urged as he rearranged the blanket.

"Sometimes I wonder how you got to be so smart about me," Brian teased.

"So spill. The suspense is killing me," Justin urged Brian again.

"Gus asked Garrett to marry him," Brian stated.

"That's great. I know they love each other. Are they going to have a big wedding?"

"He didn't say, but I imagine with this family it won't be small. His Auntie Em will most likely go overboard." Brian smiled at the thought of the queen clapping his hands together like a little kid in a candy store at the prospect of catering Gus' wedding.

"I'm very excited for Gus. He deserves all the happiness in the world, and it's really great that he can marry like anyone else. The marriage initiative has paid off. He won't have to have a commitment ceremony or go to another country. I'm so happy for him. I'll have to call him later and congratulate him." Justin got a dreamy smile on his face.

"Yeah. Right now he and Garrett are with Mother Taylor looking at houses," Brian informed him.

"They didn't waste any time. I'm sure she'll find them something great." Justin looked at their surroundings and remembered when Brian brought him to this house. "You called me Prince tonight. You know that's what you called me when you asked me to marry you." Justin smiled as he kissed Brian gently on the lips. "I said 'yes' and we made love in front of the fire," Justin reminded him. "That was so long ago. I can't believe twenty two years have passed."

"You are my still my Prince. I love you." Brian rolled toward Justin, lying on top of him again, where he showered Justin with light kisses over his face and neck. He pushed himself on his arms, resting on his elbows. "Will you marry me, my Prince?" he whispered softly into Justin's face.

Justin reached up and pulled Brian down to kiss him hard. "Yes. I will marry you."

Breaking the kiss, Brian rolled off Justin and went to get his pants.

"Briannnnn, you are so practical. Maybe I won't marry you," Justin half-teased.

Brian reached for the box and brought it back to their pallet of pillows. He opened the box, taking out the smaller ring. He took Justin's hand, placing the ring on the third finger.

"Twat. I love you, my Prince."

Justin was quiet as he looked at the ring on his finger. "I didn't think you still had them," he sheepishly admitted.

"Obviously you thought wrong."

"Can I have the box?" Justin asked.

Brian gave him the box and he took out the remaining ring. He placed the ring on Brian's finger. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course."

Justin held out his hand and took Brian's hand in his, admiring the matching rings. "Thank you," Justin said as he beamed at Brian.

"I would have married you back then, you know?" Brian reminded him.

"I know, but it wasn't the right time. Are you doing this for Gus?"

"No. I'm doing it for us. Gus asked me why I never asked you to marry me and I told him I had. He'd never heard the story of our defunct wedding and I shared it with him. That's why I took the afternoon off. We started talking at the restaurant and I didn't want to shortchange him. I signaled for the check, called Cynthia and took him back to the loft. We talked for a long time."

"So what did you tell him?" Justin asked, wondering if the entire tale was shared.

"He knew about the bombing but had forgotten about him being the ring bearer. I told him that I had bought this house for you and that you had told me 'yes' right here in the living room."

"So that's why we're here in front of the fire. You're a hopeless romantic," Justin teased as he kissed Brian softly on the lips.

"Shh," You'll spoil my hard-nosed reputation," Brian urged Justin, tongue-in-cheek.

"I gave him the shortened version of why you moved away-The Art Forum article-neglected to say that his mom urged me to let you go," Brian said tersely. "I still wonder what her motives were for doing that."

Justin gave Brian a hug, "That's all water under the bridge. We both know that was the right thing to do at the time, so leave it," Justin urged.

"Anyway… He asked me why we didn't get married when you returned. I told him the time had passed, we were busy with our careers, and we were together so it didn't happen."

"Brian…"

Brian pulled Justin over to him, hugging him close to his chest. "Now is the time, Justin. Gus said he'd finally decided to ask Garrett to marry him after spending last weekend with us. He said that he 'wanted a committed relationship with the man he loved'. I heard him and realized he was right. I have a committed relationship with the man I love and it's time for the world to recognize it. So… Justin Taylor, will you be my lawful wedded husband?"

"I will, and Brian Kinney, will you be my lawful wedded husband?"

"I will."

"So does this mean we're married?" Justin asked.

Brian laughed. "Justin, do you think we can really get away with that? I mean your mother's been waiting almost twenty five years to see you get married. And of course Debbie will cry and hug us to death. Not to mention, Em would be insulted if he didn't get the chance to cater the event. No Justin, this was just a commitment ceremony. The wedding will be later. Before Gus'. I want him to have a good role model. After all, we should show him what a wedding between two men in a committed relationship should look like."

Justin laughed and hugged Brian back. "I love you. Now let's eat. Your husband is hungry."

The End

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